Articles of faith are sometimes called a statement of faith or statement of belief or doctrinal statement and are used for organizations, churches, and sometimes individuals to summarize the important foundational beliefs to which they adhere. Most often, these statements include brief descriptions of the specific doctrine with Scripture references. Articles of faith are vital tools for both individual believers and church communities, providing a concise, organized summary of what they believe. The Bible provides us with several articles of faith to show us the essentials of the faith (Deuteronomy 6:4–7; Exodus 20:1–17; 1 Corinthians 15:1–4). Historically, articles of faith arose to preserve orthodox teaching and guard against false doctrines. The insidious entrance of false doctrine was a problem even in the early church. We see this in many of Paul’s letters. For instance, he wrote to the Galatians, in part, to re-emphasize that Christians are no longer under the Law (Galatians 1:6-9), and in his first letter to believers in Corinth, he warned of immoral practices creeping into the church. Paul also advised Timothy to guard the true doctrine so that he would save himself and those he taught (1 Timothy 4:16). Today articles of faith can guide Christians to evaluate beliefs, teach others, and unite believers around the core truths of the gospel. Articles of faith help Christians discern truth and live according to God’s Word.
Articles of faith provide a clear and organized summary of the core beliefs that define Christian faith, making it easier for believers to understand and remember what the Bible teaches. Today, many organizations publish their articles of faith on their website under "About" and often organize the articles topically, such as statements regarding their beliefs about God the Father, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, humanity, sin, salvation, the church, etc. Reviewing these statements is a quick way to evaluate whether the organization lines up with the essential beliefs of Christianity. These essentials include belief in one God who eternally exists in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). They affirm that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man (John 1:1, 14), that He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and rose bodily from the dead on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). Salvation is by grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ and not by works (Ephesians 2:8–9). Humanity is created in God’s image but separated from Him because of sin (Romans 3:23), and reconciliation comes only through repentance and faith in Christ.
The essentials also include the authority and inspiration of the Bible as the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16–17), the existence of the universal Church as the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12–13), the hope of Christ’s return (Titus 2:13), and the final judgment of all people (Hebrews 9:27).
These foundational truths anchor the Christian faith. We are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 to "test everything; hold fast what is good." Articles of faith can help give us a solid framework to know what is a biblical belief regarding certain matters.
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